


Welcome to the Real World Now

by Fawnthefox



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, New York City, Recovered Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27364393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawnthefox/pseuds/Fawnthefox
Summary: To keep him out of trouble Luffy moves across the country to live with his older brothers. The people he meets there are all a little strange. They must have him mixed up with someone else because they keep calling him Pirate King or something. It's all very confusing. Reincarnation fic where everyone remembers their past lives except Luffy who's just really confused. Modern AU
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71
Collections: Mine favoritter.





	Welcome to the Real World Now

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly shorter fragments of modern day life for ASL but with a low key plot.  
> Ficlets of ASL, Straw Hats and the Whitebeards in a modern setting.

“I missed you guys!” Luffy said as he all but jumped into his brothers arms.

Ace rolled his eyes pretending not to care, “Yea- yea twerp, you have attachment issues. Old news.”

“We missed you too Lu.” Sabo assured him, “You should have seen Ace all this week. I swear if he asked me if we could pick you up early one more time I was going to kill him.”

Ace glared at Sabo. “Only because I forgot how annoying you were.”

Unoffended Luffy laughed as he looped his arms through his brothers.

“So what do you think?” Sabo asked as they led him through the airport. This time of night it was deserted. Most of the remaining people were asleep in their chairs.

Luffy looked around curiously. “I’m not sure. It’s kind of strange here.” He crinkled his nose, “it’s so clean.”

“Well not everyone’s had the privilege of growing up in extreme poverty like you.” Ace told him sarcastically. “We shouldn’t have bothered cleaning the apartment Sab, now he might get homesick.”

“You cleaned for me, why?” Luffy asked.

“It’s what you’re supposed to do.” Sabo told both of them. “Don’t worry you can get it nice and messy if you want.”

“Any who,” Ace said moving his arm from Luffy’s grip to sling it over the teen shoulder as they continued walking through the airport. “Come meet my friend. He let us borrow his truck so we could pick you up.” Luffy followed the two of them out of the hallways and down a long set of stairs.

Ace gestured to a young man with spikey blond hair and sleepy eyes who was leaning against the wall waiting for them.

“Since when does Ace have friends?” Luffy asked Sabo who laughed.

“Ace has a lot of friend here, I think he might have more then you now.”

“Yea because you made me leave all my friends back home.” Luffy pouted crossing his arms as they approached the man.

“You’re so called friends left you in juvie all summer,” Ace pointed out as he waved at his friend who finally noticed them.

The man looked down at Luffy as an unreadable expression flashed over his face. “How’s it going kid?”

Luffy gave him a wide smile.

“This is Marco,” Ace told him.

“Nice to meet you Luffy.”

“Thank you.”

Ace and Sabo laughed at that.

“You don’t say thank you. You say nice to meet you back,” Sabo explained.

That seemed redundant but Luffy said it anyways. He learned it was better to just go along with things at this point. Otherwise they would try to explain it to him and he would get more confused.

“You should have seen how excited Ace was too see you. It’s all he would talk about all week,” Marco continued as they headed out of the airport.

Only understanding the gist of what he was saying Luffy turned to Ace questioningly.

Ace turned a darker shade of red. “Yea Sabo covered that already. And why are you guys picking on me. He was the one who kept stocking and re-stocking the fridge even though he knows Lu will eat anything.”

At the word fridge Luffy instantly straightened, doing his best to follow the conversation.

“Because I don’t turn pretty colors when I’m embarrassed,” Sabo told him playfully. 

“It’s bright,” Luffy mused as they finally left the airport. 

“It’s nighttime.”

“It’s bright for nighttime,” Luffy said looking around. There were different colored lights everywhere. In the distance there were large and very tall buildings that must be the downtown area.

They followed Marco to a white truck in the parking lot. “So Luffy what do you think?” He asked as he turned on the engine.

Luffy furrowed his brow in confusion. What does he think about what? Like in general?

Luckily Sabo came to his aid again. “He means do you like it?”

“It’s very….” He struggled to find the right word.

“Silver,” He decided.

“Silver?”

“I think he means Shiny.” Ace said and Luffy nodded.

“Yea that.”

Marco let out a small laugh. “Alright. You keep working on that vocabulary.”

He heard his brother talk to Marco but he gave up on trying to understand the complicated conversation. Instead he turned his attention out the window to the different sights. He had never been to America before. In fact he had never been outside of Brazil before. Even though this place was really weird he was willing to give it a chance. Where his brothers went he went. Plus he was getting the not-so-subtle hints that Dadan wanted him to leave. Although to be fair she had been saying that since he was seven.

As it turns out Ace and Sabo now lived in a real apartment. Although the neighborhood wasn’t great it was better than anywhere else Luffy had ever lived. He thought it was awesome and told them as such. Ace once again turned a red color and told him to shut up.

“Do you want to come in?” Ace asked his friend as Luffy hoisted his backpack back onto his shoulders. Packing had been pretty easy. Everything he owned fit pretty neatly into Ace’s old backpack. It was mostly old clothes and a very broken pair of binoculars.

“No, that’s okay I’ll leave you guys alone.” Marco told him. “See ya later kid.”

Luffy waved at him enthusiastically as he followed his brothers to the door a large grin plastered across his face. He had really missed them. It had been nearly a year since he last saw them. Since then a lot of stuff had happened. But he guessed even more things had changed for them. Like Ace having friends for starters. Back home Ace used to scare away every kid who so much as dared to look at him.

“Ta daa!” Sabo said as he unlocked the door showing Luffy their apartment. It wasn’t very big but true to Sabo’s word it was very neat. Luffy clapped all the same impressed.

“You and Ace are sharing a room.” Sabo told him as he led him through the small home. There was a big room that was the living room and kitchen. Down a very stubby hallway there were two rooms, a bedroom and a shoebox office.

“We got you a bed.” Ace said as he leaned against the doorframe of his now shared room.

“No way!” Luffy said excitedly as he flopped down on the small twin bed feeling the springs beneath him shutter. It was a real bed alright, not just a ratty old mattress like he had back home. And even that he had shared with Ace until last year when he had inherited full ownership of it.

“This is awesome you guys!”

“Thank god you are so easily impressed.” Ace said dryly as Sabo nodded.

He beamed at both of them as he dumped his backpack on his bed to give them both a very tight hug. He really had missed them. It was nice to have people looking out for him again. Everyone at home was great… were they? They were okay. But no one was his brothers. He was happy to be back with them.

“Urg another one, Ace said pretending to try and break free while Sabo patted his head. “Like we were just going to leave you there.” Everyone else seemed happy enough too.

“Shi-shi Thanks guys!”

“No problem,” Ace said shoving him off them in an exaggerated display as if he was fending off a crocodile rather than his little brother. “We’re used to bailing your ass out of trouble by now. We even started a Luffy’s-poor-life–choices Kickstarter by now.”

“Really?”

Sabo snorted. “Yea right up there with Ace’s bullshitting one. Come on dinners in the fridge, we made your favorite.”

“Any kind of Meat!”

Sabo nodded. “Easy to please as ever.

“Exactly. You can tell as all about prison there.”

The two of them left while Luffy kicked off his boots and shrugged off his hoodie looking around his new room. Sabo slept across the hallway in the tiny office. The apartment wasn’t big or nice by any means. But he loved it all the same. It was a little like their home back in Goa. Except better. For one thing there was electricity. Which seems like a given but it was quite a chore getting power lines through the rainforest all the way to the mountain base where Dadan lived so they did without it.

Luffy flipped the light switch on the wall watching in satisfaction as the bedroom lights flickered on and off.

“Cut that out dork!” Ace called from the kitchen as the whole apartments lighting flickered.

He grinned as he headed back over to his overstuffed backpack and unzipped the top. The rest of his clothing and possessions were at the top. He pulled them all out now dumping them into a messy pile on his new bed. Hidden away at the bottom was a scrappy plastic bag which he left alone.

“Luffy!” Sabo called and he grinned bag forgotten he scrambled to go join them.

* * *

“This is him?”

Luffy waved enthusiastically to the very bored looking man who was craning his neck over the large desk to see him.

“That’s him,” Ace agreed.

“And his previous guardians failed to make an appearance for the what- fifth time now.”

“Yep,” Six months and Garp was still nowhere to be found. He was by no means dead. Just caught up in work or playing hooky… or both. Either way he was going to be pissed about this. Even if his idea of being a guardian was ditching them with Dadan and visiting a couple times a year to beat the crap out of them for the sake of training.

“And you are eighteen now?”

“As of last week-”

The man paused to inspect the two of them. “Still just a kid yourself. You think you can sufficiently care for him on your own?”

“I am not on my own,” Ace told him. “We have our other foster brother.”

The man shuffled the papers in front of him around. “The seventeen year old?”

“Only for another few months.”

The paper shuffling stopped. “You are all very young,” He told him. “This is not something to be undertaken lightly. It says here your brother has a medical condition. Are you able to care for him despite that?”

“He has a possible medical condition, it hasn’t been officially diagnosed yet.”

“And I am sure that is due in part to, and I mean no offense, but the organization of the healthcare systems back in your hometown. It is absolutely horrible. Has he ever been to a real doctor?”

“I think you would have to get really technical your definition of real?”

“What?”

“No not really.”

The man peered over at them again. “Then I am sure your first order of business is to take him to a doctor for a proper diagnosis.”

“Yes sir.”

“And the home is in order then?”

An unsmiling woman passed the papers over to the judge. Luffy had only met her briefly. She had introduced herself as his social worker but it seemed pretty clear that she did not like either of them.

“It’s passible I suppose.” The way she said passible sounded like she was hoping to find it unfit. “Basic needs will be met,” Her eyes flashed at the two of them in warning. “For now.”

It wasn’t that bad. She should see where he had been living before, she would have had a field day. It seems like the lady just did not like children, or being forced into shoebox low income apartments. In the ten minutes he had known her Luffy suspected he liked her as much as she liked him. The judge ignored her, scanning over the forms and stamping the top of them.

“And you are sure you are willing to take responsibility and are able to provide a suitable home equipped with all the basic necessities until Mr. Monkey D. Luffy turns of age?”

He could do a better job than Garp that was for sure. Besides Ace had been looking after Luffy since he was a little kid even if the judge didn’t know it or didn’t care enough to know it.

“Yes I can do that.” Ace agreed.

“Alright then. Due to the failure of your current guardian to provide a counter argument and the circumstances I am approving your request for guardianship over your adoptive brother.”

Their grandfather was not going to like this one. But the options were either to leave him in Juvie for another three months or have Luffy move in with them like they had been planning since they left.

Sabo was waiting for them outside, reading one of his books for school. As far as the court was concerned he had no relation to them. At least Ace and Luffy were recognized as adoptive brothers by the law. But Sabo was just their childhood friend who may or may not have been illegally fostered by their already illegal foster mom. The whole situation was a bit of a mess. Although he hadn’t minded waiting here.

“Is everything good?” He asked shutting the book.

“Yep!” Luffy smiled brightly.

Sabo returned the smile. “Garp is going to kill us.” He said.

“Big time but he will have to find us first.” Ace added. They all knew he would. It would just take some time. And when he did he would grind them all into a bloody pulp but legally there was nothing he could do.

The two of them had bought Luffy lunch in celebration for his now legal living situation and for the fact that Garp-the-abusive-fist was no longer his legal guardian. Which was means for celebration in itself. After lunch they had showed Luffy around the city a bit and helped him with his English.

Since his grandfather had insisted that the three of them learn English along with Portuguese he was more or less bilingual. But he had never gotten the hang of it the same way his brothers had. His English practice had fallen out of use when the two of them had left and there weren’t a lot of opportunities to brush up in juvie. Now that he was back they were doing their best to help him before he had to start getting by without them to translate for him when he didn’t know a word.

“Cool isn’t it!” Ace pointed out the daunting green statue.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. Neat as it was his favorite part of this city was the food. You couldn’t go five feet without tripping over a food cart serving some kind of delicious meat. Most of which Sabo and Ace bought for him. Apparently both of them felt bad about the whole ‘getting stuck in prison when they were gone’ thing and they were trying to make it up to him. Luffy already told them it wasn’t their fault. If anybody was to blame it was his grandfather (he had left him in there to teach Luffy a lesson), or himself for getting caught, or his friends back home who had orchestrated the whole thing when he didn’t lie for them. Ace and Sabo were the ones who had gotten him out. But then again if meat was their way of feeling better he was more than willing to help them alleviate their guilt.

While they were out they bought Luffy some new things. Mostly secondhand stuff, they were still poor after all regardless of which country they were in. There was hardly enough stuff in his backpack to fill a desk drawer let alone live off of. But like most things in his life Luffy was more interested in having fun then taking anything seriously, leaving the two older slightly more responsible boys to do the real work.

“What do you think?” He asked snatching a cowboy hat off of the shelf to try on. He gave the two of them a scowl like he was on a wanted poster.

Ace laughed. “You’re the reason we are so slow. Do you want to have to wear bedsheets to school. Cause that’s what your stuck with if we can’t find you some clothes.”

Luffy took the hat off to replace it with a large and lacey women’s sunhat. “How does this one look?”

“You look like a rich lady at a garden party whose never actually stepped foot in a garden,” Ace told him grabbing the hat back.

“You look like my mother,” Sabo said with a shiver. 

Luffy grabbed the third one from the table. “How ‘bout now!”

The two boys froze. Not exactly the response he had been expecting. He had grabbed a simple farmers hat made from beat up straw that was beginning to fray.

“Does it look that bad?” He asked checking himself out in the mirror. He kind of liked it.

“N-no,” Sabo stuttered. “You just surprised us.”

“By wearing a hat?” Why were they being weird. “Guys,” He asked taking the hat off somberly. “You have to tell me honestly okay.” He placed the hat back on the shelf taking a deep breath. He had their attention now, both of them were staring at him like they had forgotten how to blink.

“-Do you think I look bad in hats?”

The silence was quickly followed by laughter. Luffy grinned, glad to see them acting normally again.

“Come on goofball,” Ace told him throwing his arm around his shoulder. “We have to head back home.”

“Why?”

“Cause my friend is coming over?”

“You really do have friends now?” He had thought Sabo might be lying.

“He wants to meet you.” Ace continued on pretending not to have heard Luffy. “You will like him I promise.”

“Whys that?”

“Well he is going to make you dinner for starters.”

* * *

Luffy did end up liking Ace’s friend. The friend who had picked him up at the airport, Mango or something had come as well alongside the man with crazy hair called Thatch. Neither one of them seemed to have trouble understanding him even when he forgot a word or switched it out for the Portuguese one. In fact they hardly seemed to notice. Although Thatch had nearly laughed his head off when Ace burned himself on the stove and Luffy had so helpfully translated his swear words into English for the benefit of the group.

“I’ve heard so much about you from Ace I wanted to meet you.” He explained to Luffy as he neatly sliced up some carrots.

“He wanted to know how an eight-year-old could do that much damage to a police car by accident.” Ace told him.

Luffy remembered that incident. “It wasn’t easy,” He told Thatch honestly and the man laughed. He gave the discarded carrot ends to Luffy who accepted them happily. 

“The way Ace always talked about you I figured you would be a one-man wrecking ball. But you seem calm enough.”

“Give him a chance to break something of yours and see if you still say that,” Sabo spoke up.

“Remind me to keep the knives away from you,” Thatch laughed adding some peels to the scrap pile they had allowed Luffy to get at in exchange for him not stealing the food while it was still cooking.

He grabbed some of it before heading out to the table where Sabo was sitting. He looked like he was concentrated pretty hard. Which was surprising because there was food being made and Sabo loved food more then he loved working.

“What cha-doing?” Luffy asked, leaning over his brother’s shoulder to look at the papers he was fussing over below.

“Paying bills,” Sabo told him.

“Bills?”

“ _Expenses,_ like _rent and such.”_ Sabo translated.

“Ah,” Luffy sunk into the seat across from him. “Is it fun?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Isn’t he precious,” Ace said dryly as Thatch broke out into laughter confusing Luffy further.

“As little fun as I’m having here, being homeless and hungry is even less fun so we figured-,” He gestured to Ace, “-we’d go for the less of the two evils.”

Luffy nodded that made sense. If nothing else his line of questioning had amused Ace’s friends to no end. But it’s not like he had ever seen Dadan paying bills. Back home neither did Ace nor Sabo. Where they came from people adopted a bit more of a big stick little stick mentality for resources. You could take something from someone else provided you could defend it. Otherwise it would just be wasted energy.

“Do you want help?” He asked looking at the numbers Sabo was adding up.

“Thanks Lu, but you should probably leave the math to me.”

That hadn’t been what he was talking about. He stood up from the chair and headed back down the stubby hallway to their shared room where his backpack was. His clothes had been shoved into the dresser and the now empty backpack sat at the foot of his bed. He double checked the plastic bag was still at the bottom before carrying back out to the table where everyone was waiting, mostly confused by him. Luffy ripped open the plastic bag tipping it upside down so the contents fell across the table, some of it falling across the papers.

Their confusion before was nothing compared to now as the group watched as any number of sketchy looking items fell from the beaten sack onto the table. There were single cigarettes, instant ramen packets, a dented switch blade, multiple crumpled bills of varying values, a couple of wedding rings and various other junk no one wanted to think about too much.

All logic went out the window and for a long second no one said anything, too stunned by the sudden pile to react. Then Ace smacked his forehead into the table. “God dammit Luffy.”

Thatch had left the kitchen fueled by curiosity to get a better look at the pile. “This ramen’s expired and- … are those teeth.”

“How did you even get this past airport security?” Sabo asked using his pen to push one of the cigarettes off the paper he had been writing on.

“Because that’s the problem with this! Luffy your killing me.”

“I’m helping!”

“This is not helping! Dumping a pile of … I don’t know what! Is not helping!!”

Marco sniffed the cigar that had rolled onto the floor. It was surprisingly high class. Someone would pay a lot of money for this type.

“Not teeth just the gold fillings,” Thatch informed them. “Who’s though?”

“How should I know?” Luffy asked. “Some guy who sold their teeth to someone else for money I guess.”

“ Where on earth did you get these?”

“Prison.” He answered innocently and things clicked into place for Ace and Sabo as they both groaned.

“Of course you did.”

“Did he just say prison?” Thatch asked.

“He means juvie,” Ace translated. For Luffy’s benefit he added, “-Where I’m starting to think is where he should be right now!”

Luffy stuck his tongue out at the other one.

“So,” Sabo cut in before the two of them could start an argument. “What I’m gathering is you, in some shady illegal way, gathered this- prison currency. Figured it was valuable and brought it with you to help us pay for things?”

Luffy nodded.

“Aw,” Thatch’s said, “That’s kind of sweet.”

“Is it really?” Marco asked.

“Which raises the question,” Sabo said, “How did you get this stuff?”

“There was an underground prison fight club.”

“Of course there was,” Ace sighed.

“I was really good at it.”

“And of course you were.”

“I thought it was just for fun,” Luffy smiled at the memory. “It was pretty boring in there so everyone was entertained by the fighting. But every time I won, and I always won. The losers would give me something. They said they were valuable and I could trade them for more food and blankets and stuff but I wanted to keep most of it for you guys because you both have to work so much even though you’re still taking care of me.” He finished brightly.

“Okay that is a little sweet.” Marco caved. “If you are the Adams family or something.”

“Should we be worried by how well you fit in there?”

“They called me the rei imbatível _”_ He said enthusiastically

_“_ Luffy how are you so cute but so scary at the same time,” Thatch said.

“Thoughtful as this was Lu, we can’t pay our rent in bloody Reais and some dudes knock off gold watch,” Sabo explained.

“Which bags the question, what the hell we are going to do with this stuff.”

“Throw it out,” Marco said.

“Noooo!” Luffy scooped the stuff towards him, sheltering it from the trash as he stared at them. “It’s worth three thousand eight hundred and fifty food tickets! That’s like five months and twenty three days’ worth of extra food!”

“Where did that math come from?”

“Come on don’t you feel a little bad. He worked so hard for this.” Thatch said suspiciously poking something brown and furry.

“We won’t throw it out Luffy,” Sabo assured him.

“We won’t?” Ace asked.

“We will find some use for it,” Sabo told both of his brothers. “But Luffy you’re in charge of making sure it doesn’t get any of us arrested got it!”

Luffy nodded enthusiastically pushing the stuff back into the bag. “Thanks Sabo!”

“Why on earth were you in prison…” Thatch asked circling back to the main point.

“Juvie,” Ace reminded him.

“Juvie-whatever.”

“Drug trafficking,” Luffy said innocently.

Food forgotten the two men turned to him in shock.

“What the hell!”

* * *

Ace slipped out of the back door of the bar into the alleyway. This late into the night it was cold and most of the street noise had died down, save for the ever present honking of cars and traffic sounds but in this city that was more like white noise. Marco was learning against the wall, a cigarette between his fingers.

“Leaving already?” He asked Ace.

“Do you want me to get black out drunk like last week.” Ace said with a smile, coming to lean against the wall beside his friend. He gestured for the cigarette which Marco passed over.

“Please I’ve seen you drink more than that, you were just pretending.”

“And why would I do a thing like that?” He took a long drag before releasing the smoke into the night air.

“Same reason you’re skipping out early today,” Marco took the cigarette back and settled back into the wall. “You can’t save people who don’t want to be saved. You of all people should know that by now.”

“You of all people-,” Ace mused to himself as he looked up at the sky above them. The light pollution blocking out any stars that may be up there. “That never seemed to stop you guys from trying?”

From inside the bar the sounds of their friend’s drunken singing reached them. A very off tune sing along of some olden rock band. What idiots. Ace smiled at that. They were his idiot group after all. Marco’s too even if he was tasked more often than not with playing mother hen to the odd ball group.

Marco only shrugged. “I’m sure it’s not going to stop you either.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I gave up that easily.”

Marco dropped the cigarette onto the floor crushing it with his foot. “Want me to go with you?”

“No that’s all right, stay here,” Ace gestured back to the warmth of the bar. “Look after this bunch, leave the self-destructive one to me.”

“Good luck.” And with that his friend headed back inside with the others. Ace smiled to himself as he turned away. He would check all the usual placed first before looking in the shelters. It was going to be a late night, with work tomorrow morning as well. But for his friends it was all worth it.

* * *

Luffy was woken up that night by a stinging pain in his head. It felt like someone had shot an arrow through his forehead and right into his brain. He sat up slowly, hands going to his forehead to make sure it was indeed still intact. Everything felt fine, meaning this was another headache. He groaned fully awake now. It had been so long since he had gotten one of these he had started to believe- hope he had outgrown them.

Standing up somewhat shakily Luffy went to his brother’s bed. “Ace?” It was empty. He still wasn’t back yet. The alarm clock on the night table told him that it was nearly one in the morning. Luffy crossed the hall to his brother’s room to bang on the door.

“Sabo! Sabo I need help.” He opened the door only to find like Ace, he wasn’t here either. Uh-oh.

He went back into the hallway turning on the lights in the living room. There had to be something here that could help him. At least he hoped there was. He dug around in the kitchen for a bit looking for pain pills. He usually didn’t fuck with them but right now it felt like his brain was about to explode. Could that actually happen? He hoped not. Plan B then drink some water and hope it goes away on its own. He poured himself some water and leaned heavily on the counter.

It wasn’t helping. Luffy groaned as his began to shake. No, no, no, he did not want this to happen right now. Plan C, get some help.

He made his way back to the living room looking for his phone. He checked all the usual places, under the couch, under the cushions, under the table… nowhere. He checked his room and bed again before trying the fridge and microwave. Still no phone. All the while his headache was getting worse. This immense pressure was beginning to build at his temples and the room began to tilt. He had forgotten how much these hurt.

“Where are you phone? Where are you brothers!” Where was the pain medication he forgot to pack. Why was nothing where it was supposed to be right now?

He found his phone fifteen minutes later. It was plugged into the wall in the kitchen charging. Who had put it there! Curse Sabo’s thoughtfulness. His hands shaking Luffy pulled it from the wall and slid down onto the floor as he punched in his brother’s number.

“Hello?”

“Sabo!” Luffy cried in relief. He was so grateful he had picked up. “I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” His brother was instantly alert. It was rare for Luffy to panic.

“My head hurts!”

“And…” And he was supposed to be the smart one.

“No I mean it Hurts! Like it hurts really bad. Please help me,” He begged.

“Oh,” Sabo said catching on. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” He had been sure an hour ago.

“Okay, listen Lu. I’m at work right now across town. I’ll head over but it’s going to take a little while. Can you hang tight until then?”

“I think I’m dying.”

“You’re not dying,” Sabo told him. “You always say that but you never die. Trust me we keep getting our hopes up each time and you keep disappointing us.”

Luffy smiled despite the pain. Ace used to tell him that each and every time when the three of them were growing up and no matter how much pain he was in it never failed to make him feel better. Looking back he had thought he was just being dramatic but right now it really felt like his head was going to shatter.

“Luffy can you hang on until I get back?”

“Yea.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can alright.”

“Okay.” There was a click as Sabo hung up but Luffy left the call running as he leaned back in the wall. The light in here was so bright it hurt his head. He wished he hadn’t turned it on but there was no chance he was getting back up now. Something dripped down his face and onto his shirt, staining it red. He raised a hand to his nose realizing it was bleeding, He used the bottom of his shirt to cover it, leaning back his head and staring at the ceiling. Luffy had forgotten how much he hated this, how bad it felt. The kitchen ceiling danced and spun above him as he began to slide down the wall. ‘Stupid head,’ he thought as everything started to get dark. ‘Why did he have to get the broken one.’

It felt like he had only closed his eyes for a second before someone was shaking his arm.

“-FFY!”

He tried to ignore them but they were insistent.

“Luffy!”

“Go-way.”

He felt himself be pulled up which made his head feel worse.

“Wake up Luffy.”

“What?” He groaned opening his eyes a crack and instantly regretting it. “Sabo?”

“Yea,” a hand patted his hair reassuringly.

“What time is it?” He asked hoarsely.

“Is that your biggest issue right now?” His brother asked patiently.

He guessed not.

Sabo left for a second coming back with some pain pills which he made Luffy take before checking his eyes and pulse. 

“Can you get up?”

“Hmm-hmm,” Luffy said closing his eyes once more.

“Come on you can’t stay here all night.” He groaned as Sabo pulled on his arm, helping him back to his feet. When his head gave another painful jolt Luffy let go of his brother to press his palms against his temples like that was the only thing keeping his head together. Sabo had to practically drag him back to their room.

“Luffy?”

“Hmm…?” He wasn’t really listening, to pre-occupied with the staggering pain in his head to care what was going on around him.

“Do you want me to stay and make sure you don’t die?”

… “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

* * *

When he passed out for the second time Sabo must have taken him back to bed. He didn’t remember it but he did remember waking up either really late or really early to the slamming of their front door when Ace got back. His head still hurt but is was kind of a distant ache which usually meant the most painful stuff had already happened to him. Now his head just felt hollow, like everything that had been inside it was emptied out leaving him very lightheaded and kind of sickish.

Sabo had left him on his side but he now rolled back onto his back so he could look up at the ceiling above his bed. It was quickly becoming familiar to him. Sabo hadn’t closed the bedroom door and their conversation floated through the walls.

“The judge said we should take him to see a real doctor.”

“You think that’s a good idea considering?” Sabo asked.

“No but we have to do something.”

“I thought we were doing something? It’s not like we are not trying.”

“Well we have to do something else then. If they get much worse he could die.”

“There is only so much you and I can do,” Sabo told him.

Luffy rolled over onto his stomach pushing his face into his pillow. He remembered when the three of them were younger, still living in Dadans attic amongst the dust and spiders. He had shaken the two of them awake one night, crying loud enough to wake up the whole house. He had begged them to fix his head, convinced then that it was broken and he was going to die. The two of them had been scared, he could tell. Both completely out of their depths. But they hid it well. They had stolen the bandits car and took him all the way down the mountain into the village to try and get some help. Only there was none to be found. Despite it Luffy hadn’t died, the next morning he was still alright, although his head felt like it had been beaten in with a hammer. But he survived that one and the next one and all the ones that came after that. Despite his claims that it was killing him.

And after all this time nothing had changed. He was still causing his brothers trouble. They were still worrying about him. And his head still felt like it was broken. Luffy closed him eyes, falling into a very restless sleep.

Ace had woken him up sometime that morning to give him something for his head. He didn’t say what is was but it sounded like it might not be completely legal so Luffy was sworn to secrecy. Either way it helped way more than the stuff Sabo gave him so he was grateful, regardless of what shady channels Ace had gone through to get it. Both of his brothers had left for work shortly after that. Sabo having to make up the shift he ditched to come help Luffy. They had both expected him to be out all day and left him food in the fridge for when he felt better.

Luffy woke up late into the afternoon feeling slightly confused but all round much better than he had been. He had ended up sleeping the first half away but he woke up later in the evening just as the sky was beginning to darken. Feeling restless at the concept of getting stuck in bed all day he pulled his clothes on and polished off the food that had been left for him. With no particular goal in mind as he headed out the door.

This city might be strange, but it was also a great deal more exciting than his old home had been. For one thing there were more people which was always exciting. He wondered around for a good while, watching as the nighttime lamps switched on, lighting up the already bright city. Whoever had told him that this city never slept had been right. Their nighttime was brighter than the daytime. When his head began to hurt a bit again he leaned up against the lamp post, content to watch the crowed for a little bit until it passed.

Everybody seemed to be in a hurry. Bustling this way and that, many of their faces glued to the glowing screens of their phones. It made him remember that he had forgotten his phone again… but he doubted he would need it.

Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a man with a dark hat pulled over his eyes who looked like they were up to no good. Luffy watched, entertained as the man began to tail a woman who had just emerged from the metro exit. She hadn’t caught sight of him yet, too busy trying to get where she was headed to notice. Luffy had seen enough of this to know what was going to happen next.

He was already heading towards them when the man crashed into the woman, knocking her off course. He apologized profusely trying to help her up as she waved him off continuing on her way. Luffy sped up a little bit, so that the second the man turned the two of them ran smack into each other just like he had previously done to the woman. Only this time he was not so gracious about it.

“What the hell kid,” He snarled as he caught himself. “Pay attention next time idiot.”

Luffy grinned at him. “Sorry.”

“Whatever,” The man brushed passed him, hurriedly setting off in the other direction. Luffy watched him go for a second before he took off after the woman.

“Hey!” He called through the crowed, but she ignored him.

“Hey Lady!” He tugged at her sleeve and she turned looking minorly annoyed.

“You lost this.” He told her handing her wallet back over. Luffy had stolen it back from the pickpocket…along with the man’s own wallet. For a professional he wasn’t all that good was he. The woman snatched it back quickly going through the pockets. She slumped in relief at finding everything still there.

“Thank you.” She told him greatfully. Luffy smiled back as her.

“Shi-shi, no problem.” He had just done it for fun.

He waved as she left before turning his attention to the newly stolen wallet. He didn’t need to take it. But why not. He had gotten really good at pickpocketing things when the three of them were younger. All those skills had come back during his time in juvie where people stole things mostly to pass the time. Or at least that was what Luffy had done. He flipped through the wallet wondering vaguely if he could also trade in these cards for some street food. He didn’t know if things worked like that here. He continued to sort through it, unaware someone was watching him from across the street.

“Luffy!”

Luffy’s head shot up as someone called for him. Had they seen him stealing. Not good. Across the street there was a young man, a bit older than him who was rocking some awesome green hair. He was staring directly at him, as if looking at a ghost. Stealing couldn’t be that rare could it? The two locked eyes for a second, both of them were staring at each other like a pair of stunned deer. After a second the other boy’s mouth twisted into the beginning of a smile. But the next second Luffy shoved the wallet into his pocket and took off into the crowed.

“Luffy WAIT!”

Risking a glance behind him he realized that the other boy was chasing him. He must really not like pickpockets. Even if the other guy did have it coming.

“Luffy it’s me!” The boy called to him as they pounded up the street. A few people gave them curious looks but most ignored them. Maybe this place wasn’t so different from back home after all. He turned off the Main Street intent on losing his chaser. The other kid may be fast but he couldn’t possibly be as fast as Luffy. He was outrunning bears and school teachers alike by the time he was ten.

Luffy took another corner leading them both into the ally ways. The other boy was slowly beginning to close the gap between them. He smiled at that. Stealing was more fun then he thought it was going to be.

“Luffy stop!” The green haired boy called out to him.

But Luffy didn’t stop, instead he tore down another ally leading them into a sketchy looking area. The end had been walled off into a dead end. Luffy ran to the wall testing it with his hand, feeling the uneven grip beneath his palm. Perfect. Behind him his chaser had all but caught up. He was panting, more then a little out of breath as he leaned against the wall.

“Luffy what the hell?” The green haired boy asked him between his panting. Luffy still had a good few meters of a head start. That would be enough.

“Why did you run away?” The other one continued, his anger quickly turning into confusion. “I’ve been looking for you.”

How did he know his name Luffy wondered? What had he done in such a short time to make this guy look for him? It was probably better he didn’t stick around to find out.

“Say something will you?” The boy straitened again.

He smiled at him, “Your pretty fast huh?” Luffy laughed. He was out of breath as well, it had been too long since he had a good chase. They should do it again some time.

“What?”

Luffy turned back to the brick, not giving the other boy a seconds notice he began to climb strait up it, just like a money. Using the corner between the building he launched himself high enough that he could wrap his finger around the top. Feet scraping for traction he pulled himself to stand on top of it. The green haired boy was watching him from the bottom. Luffy gave him an enthusiastic wave before jumping back down to the other side. He could hear the boy calling him after him but he ignored it instead making his way out of the ally and across the street. Intending to get lost once more in the crowed.

“Hey!”

He turned in surprise, just in time to watch as his chaser dropped from the top of the wall landing heavily on his feet a few yards away from him.

“Dammit Luffy stop!”

He really was good, wasn’t he?

“You don’t quit.” Luffy called back as he broke into a run once more, heading for the metro station below them. The green haired boy followed, right on his heels. The crowed was slowing him down enough so that the other boy had all but caught up.

Hopping over the turn-style Luffy darted through the crowed. He heard the thud as the other boy did the same thing. Shoot, he was really determined wasn’t he. A loud screeching echoed off the walls, letting them know the arrival of one of the subways. Just ahead of him people were beginning to crowd in front of the doors. If he could just slip in with them he could finally shake this guys off.

A hand shot out and tangled into Luffy’s jacket dragging him backwards. Luffy grit his teeth as he kept pulling forwards refusing to be stopped. Not only was his chaser fast but he was strong too. This guy was alright. But like hell he was going to stop him. He could see the crowed begin to thin ahead of them as the people filled the once empty subway cars. The sound played letting them know it would take off soon.

“Are you done yet?”

Quick as a flash he surged forwards, shrugging his coat off as he lunged towards the closing doors of the subway. The other boy was a bit slower to react clutching his coat for a moment longer before dropping it with a cry as he shot after Luffy.

The smaller boy rolled into the subway car just as the doors slid shut. Not a second later the green haired boy thudded against them, calling for Luffy. His voice was muffled. People were staring at them now. Luffy ignored them as he stood up, coming back to the doors to face the other through the smudged glass.

“What are you doing?” He demanded. He looked angry.

Luffy smiled, giving him a quick shrug. “See ya,” He called as the subway lurched to a start.

The angry look softened a bit to begrudging amusement. He put his hand up in a wave as well as the subway began to move.

“See you later captain.”

* * *

“Explain to me how you could get lost for three days!” Ace asked as he took his jacket off, throwing it onto the couch.

“I told you I took the subway too far and ended up outside of the city.”

“For three days!”

“Well I didn’t know how to get back from there?”

“I had to miss work for you, you little escape artist.” 

“Why didn’t you call us?” Sabo asked as Luffy flopped onto the couch.

“I left my cell phone here and I didn’t know your number.” He defended. They were making a bigger deal out of this then necessary. He was fine. Two nights on the street wasn’t going to kill anyone.

“What about the card we made for you?” Sabo asked as he watched Luffy head straight for the kitchen. He tore open the refrigerator frantically grabbing up food items.

“What card?”

“The one we gave you in case you get lost.”

Luffy shoved some leftovers into his mouth. The hardest part about living on the street was definitely the limited food.

“Oh right,” He grabbed for the orange juice carton. “It was in my jacket.” Along with the wallet he had stolen and a little bit of money… his keys. Shoot.

“Well where is your jacket?”

He shrugged. “I guess that guy has it now.”

* * *

“So you think you saw Luffy?” Sanji raised his cigarette to his mouth, only half paying attention to the story.

“I did see him!”

“So where is he then?” Sanji turned back to the bowl he had been mixing.

“I don’t know! Somewhere in the city probably.”

“He didn’t want to come back with you.”

“He ran away from me!”

“Uh-huh.” The chief muttered leaning over to grab some spice from the cabinet.

“You’re not listening!”

“I’m listening, your just not saying anything intelligent.”

“Fine!” Zoro hissed swiping the stolen coat from the tabletop. “Serves me right for thinking you might be able to help.” A move that had surprised both of them. “I will go get one of the others to help me.”

“You do that.”

“Stop slacking off Sanji!” One of the other chiefs growled as they passed. “Get the hell to work or I’m going to kick your friend out.”

“We’re NOT friends!” The two of them yelled back at him in perfect unison.

“It’s fine I was going anyways,” Zoro told them in annoyance.

Sanji sighed, his anger cooling a little bit. “Let me see that idiot.” He ended up having to snatch the jacket away when Zoro wouldn’t give it up.

“I thought you didn’t believe me.”

“I just want to see whose coat you stole after you chased them halfway across the city in a misguided attempt of friendship.”

“It was Luffy!” Zoro made a grab for it back but Sanji held it away from him.

“It says Jimmy on the tag?”

“So? It could be second hand. Isn’t Luffy poor or something.”

Sanji fished in the pockets, pulling out the wallet. “Dammit man, you really stole this didn’t you. All this guy’s credit cards are in here-Steve somthing.”

“That wasn’t his!” Zoro protested feeling his face start to heat up. Leave it to Luffy to cause this much confusion. “He took that from someone else.”

“So Luffy is a New York street thief now? Good god man how wasted are you?” Sanji was starting to look a little concerned. He fished in the pockets. “You also stole their pocket change, some keys, and their business card. Nice going there.”

“I’m telling you dart brow! It was Luffy.”

Sanji scowled at him as he unfolded the card. He read it once and then a second time.

“Holy shit!” He said finally.

Zoro snatched it out of his hands reading it over.

Hello, my name is Luffy. My English isn’t very good yet and I get lost easily. If you find me please call the number on the other side and my family will come get me. Thank you.

“I told you!”

* * *

Unwilling to leave him alone again the two of them decided to keep a closer eye on Luffy until school started and he got more used to the city.

“Short of duct taping you to a chair, babysitting is our best option.” Ace told him as he sat him down in one of the chairs in the staffs kitchen.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Luffy told him glancing around the room. This was the place Ace worked? Well one of them. This was where he spent most of his time when he wasn’t home or at school. On their way in Ace had introduced him to someone he called Oyaji, a very old and very large man who seemed as amused by Luffy as the kid was with him. What he found even funnier was how exasperated he made Ace.

“Now you know how we feel when you do reckless things.” The man had told him with a booming laugh.

Ace had been less amused and responded by telling the man that he might be bad but even if he tried, he couldn’t land himself in half of the situations Luffy got into.

The old guy had laughed harder at that. He had told him that any brother of Ace was a friend of theirs.” Luffy decided that Aces boss was pretty cool.

“Listen Lu I’m going to level with you okay?” Ace said as he sat down in the chair across from his brother. “We really need you to behave just for a little while alright.”

“I was behaving!”

“Running away is not behaving.”

“I didn’t run away! I got lost. What’s the big deal?” Back home he had gotten lost in the jungle a few times a month and nobody had ever batted an eye before.

“You know how I am supposed to be looking after you instead of Garp?” Luffy nodded. “Well if they find out that I lost you for a few days, or if you get picked up by the cops they will think that I’m not doing a good job and they might not let you live with us anymore.”

Luffy frowned. He didn’t like that. 

“So lay low, just for a little while. Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.” He could do that.

Ace leaned over to ruffle his hair. “Knew I could count on you.” Sabo got his friend to take you home today. He will stop by after work. Sit tight until then.”

“Kay.”

After Ace left he had fallen asleep, drolling on the table below him. He had woken up hours later to the sounds of cooking and the smell of meat cooking.

“Thatch?” He sat up excitedly. The man made the best food.

“Hey kid,” He greeted brightly. “Ace told me you were grounded and bored out of your mind. Thought you could use some food.”

“You’re the best!” Luffy said shooting out of his chair. “Your amazing!” His opinion of the man was growing every time they met. Mostly because every time Thatch insisted on feeding him.

“And Thatch likes anyone who eats his food with that much enthusiasm,” A new voice said from the doorway.

Luffy turned to see a new face standing halfway into the room.

“Luffy this is my friend Haruta. He works with me and Ace.” Thatch told him. Luffy waved at him as he crossed the threshold to the table.

“So you’re the guy huh? That’s kind of surprising… Not that there is anything wrong with you. Your just kind for young.”

“The guy?”

“You know,” The man made a gesture ignoring Thatch’s frown. “The Pirate King.”

“The what?” This guy was weird.

“Haruta,” Thatch tried to warn him but he was cut off.

“Why do you mean-what?” He frowned at Luffy.

“I guess Ace didn’t tell you,” Thatch said as he turned back to the stove, flipping the meat over with practiced skill.

“Tell me what,” both of them asked together.

“We don’t talk about stuff like that in front of Luffy,” He answered.

“Why not?”

“What stuff?” Luffy asked.

Thatch smiled at him. “Pirate stuff.” To his friend he said, “You have to ask Ace why.”

The man shrugged as he sat down. “Weird,” He said and then his smile was back. “Well then Pirate King how about some cards? If you lose the titles mine.”

“Haruta,” Thatch warned.

“And if I win?”

The man smiled. “Your Ace’s brother after all so I’m guessing if I give you my food you will agree huh.”

Luffy’s face broke into a grin. “You’re on.”

* * *

Thatch ended up winning. He had interjected himself into the game shortly after. He hadn’t thought the stakes had been as amusing as Haruta had. Luffy lost spectacularly but he ended up getting the extra food anyways. Sabo’s friend has stopped by in the middle of the rematch and had gotten sucked into it. By the time Luffy actually made it back to their apartment it was quite late. Sabo was still waiting up for him, working yet again on some papers. He was always working on something. Both of his brothers were busy all the time. But they still tried so hard for him. Luffy vowed to try to stay out of trouble like they had asked, at least for a little while. He owed them that much. Even if he wasn’t quite sure he could do it.

“Someone called for you while you were gone,” Sabo told him reaching for his phone. “I told them you would call back.”

“Was it Makino?” She liked to call and check up on them every so often to make sure they were doing all right.

“Nope, I don’t know who it was. Probably who ever found your coat.” Luffy took the phone from his brother. He was willing to bet it was whomever had called sixteen times. Thank god it was Sabo’s phone and not Aces. The blonde boy had been gifted with a lot more patience for dealing with Luffy’s trouble.

Leaving Sabo to work Luffy took the phone back into the kitchen. He hopped out of the half-opened window and onto the rusted fire escape. It was old as heck and creaked when he moved but it overlooked the entire city. Luffy could see everything from up here, every blinking street light and car. It made him feel- free.

He settled himself at the edge, letting his legs hang off the edge through the railing as he hit the button.

The line clicked halfway through the first ring.

“Hello?” Luffy answered.

A familiar voice greeted him warmly.

“Hey captain. Long time no see.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends. I origenally posted this on FF.net a few monthes ago. But I really like this one and people have been asking me to cross post some of my stuff. So hopefully none of you mind the repitition. This is the result of an idea I have been playing with for a while now. It’s probably going to be a one-shot for now. I can’t be taking on any more stories with all the stuff I have going on. But I do have plot ideas for this one, like a lot of them. But this was meant to be more of a self-indulgent story for me haha. I wanted to write it because I have a thing for modern day ASL.  
> If I do end up continuing this then I will go into it but until then the Straw Hats, specifically Zoro, have finally found Luffy again. Over the last year Luffy’s crew have been relocating to the city for various reasons and reconnecting with each other. They have been keeping an eye out for Luffy but when he was no where to be found they began to lose hope they would see him again. 
> 
> Tying up some loose ends that would have been explained a bit later; At the beginning Ace was dealing with one of his old crew mates. They were on a self-destructive path and he was trying to reach out to them. Luffy actually ended up in Juvie because he was framed by his at the-time-friends. They had blamed him for something they had done when he hadn’t gone along with them. When Ace and Sabo found out the easiest way to get Luffy out of jail was to have him come live with them and thus this story happened. Thatch wanted to meet Luffy here because in their last life Ace had always talked about him but Thatch had died before they got the chance to meet each other. There is also a reason Luffy can’t remember like the rest of them but for now to keep it simple I will just say that he will get the memories of his old life back eventually with the help of his friends!  
> When Luffy is talking to his brothers alone or the text is italicized they are speaking portuguese. 
> 
> I hope some people enjoyed it! : )


End file.
